Red Sox 5, White Sox 4: Boston rookies ring in new era with walk-off

BOSTON — If this was indeed as it felt, the first game of next season, 2015 feels a lot like 2013.

By Tim Britton

BOSTON — If this was indeed as it felt, the first game of next season, 2015 feels a lot like 2013.

Behind catalyst Mookie Betts, the Red Sox scored five times in the final two innings to erase a four-run deficit and shock the White Sox, 5-4, at Fenway Park. It snapped Boston’s four-game losing streak, and it was just the team’s second win in nine tries on this homestand.

Wednesday marked a pivot point for the Red Sox. If one were to be blunt, it was the first game in an extended 2015 preseason. The afternoon designation for assignment of catcher A.J. Pierzynski, which led to the promotion of 23-year-old catcher Christian Vazquez, signaled the end of Boston’s title defense. The 2014 season is, for all intents and purposes, over, replaced by a 72-game evaluation period to figure out just what the Red Sox have and what else they’ll soon need.

“When you get into some roster changes, there’s an unspoken message that is sent — not in a threatening way, but it indicates that the way we’ve been going isn’t acceptable,” manager John Farrell said.

That’s why rookies comprised a majority of the starting nine, with Vazquez joining Brock Holt, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Betts. You can throw starter Rubby De La Rosa in there as a near-rookie, as well.

Those rookies left their fingerprints all over Wednesday’s refreshing win, which felt a bit like a cool breeze in the wake of a heat wave. Betts was undeniably the spark.

Heading into the bottom of the eighth, this was another sleepy performance by Boston’s bats, albeit a more understandable one against Chicago left-hander Chris Sale. The Red Sox had managed just three hits in seven innings, and they trailed by four.

That’s when Betts, who had already delivered the best at-bats of the night against Sale, beat out a ground ball to deep short, then turned and alertly raced to a second base left uncovered by the White Sox defense. It was ruled an infield double, and it helped bring Sale’s night to an end before the eighth was over.

Two batters later, Dustin Pedroia singled Betts in against reliever Jake Petricka. That was followed by a David Ortiz double and Jonny Gomes single to pull Boston within a run.

In the ninth, Betts was hit by a Javy Guerra pitch with one out. Daniel Nava, pinch-hitting for Vazquez, lifted a double high off the Green Monster while Betts jetted around the bases. He didn’t just beat the throw, he made sure a throw never happened.

Did he know he would score?

“Absolutely,” said Betts with a smile.

Holt followed with a clean single to right, bringing Nava in from second. It was Boston’s seventh walk-off win of the season.

“My job was the easy one,” Holt said. “Nava had the tough one.”

“It just shows you we have a good group of young guys,” Betts said.

Betts, complimented routinely over his first week in the majors for his ability to manage his at-bats, produced Boston’s best all night. After striking out against Sale on seven pitches his first time up, Betts took everything Sale had his second time up before ripping the 11th pitch of the rendezvous off the Monster for a double.

Betts saw 25 pitches in four plate appearances. He reached three times.

“It’s kind of a relief to see some results,” he said.

Bradley provided the defensive highlight of the evening, the week, the month and probably the season with an eye-popping diving catch in right-center of Tyler Flowers’ second-inning fly ball. It was the finest play yet by a center fielder who makes fine plays on the daily.

“It seems like he does something like that almost every game,” said Holt, shaking his head. “He’s unbelievable out there.”

A 2-7 homestand doesn’t afford much room for optimism, but Bradley’s defense continues toward the transcendent while his offense has started to come around.

“We were able to finish it off, which is something we haven’t been able to do recently,” Holt said. “It was a good feeling.”

“Guys are understanding where we are. We haven’t conceded anything,” said Farrell. “The bottom line is to go out and win.”

Twitter: @TimBritton

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